Baldwin City, Kan. — The Central Methodist Baseball team closed out its four-game Heart of America Athletic Conference weekend series Sunday afternoon with a pair of losses to Baker in Baldwin City, falling 9-5 in the opener before dropping the finale, 15-4.

The Eagles move to 14-11 overall and 5-3 in conference play at the conclusion of the weekend.

Game 3: Baker 9 - Central Methodist 5

Central Methodist jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning behind RBI doubles from Dariel Rios and Zeb Wede. Baker responded with a decisive five-run second inning, highlighted by a three-run home run to take a 5-2 advantage.

The Eagles cut the deficit to one in the fourth when Simon "JJ" Yoakum IV launched a two-run homer to right, making it 5-4. However, Baker answered again in the fifth with four runs, including a three-run triple, to extend the lead to 9-4.

CMU added a run in the sixth on an RBI double from Wilson Decker, but could not complete the comeback.

Yoakum led the offense with two RBI, while Rios added two doubles in a two-for-three effort. 

Game 4: Baker 15 - Central Methodist 4

In the series finale, Baker's offense stayed hot, scoring in six of its seven at-bats and pulling away with a six-run sixth inning.

The Wildcats built a 6-0 lead through three innings, capitalizing on walks and timely hitting. CMU got on the board in the fourth with an RBI double from Yoakum, and Justin Smith added a solo home run in the fifth to make it 8-2.

Central continued to chip away with runs in the sixth and seventh, including RBI from Dawson Foster and Wede, but Baker's explosive sixth inning—capped by a two-run homer—put the game out of reach.

Yoakum finished two-for-four with an RBI and a double, while Rios added two hits.

Up Next:

Central will next host Clarke University for a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday, March 24 at Estes Field. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.

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